How to use Silent Blades buff

So it says that it stacks up to 5 times but I can never get it to that. Mostly it's used up at 1 stack and sometimes at 2 stacks. Is there a particular strategy to max it out or is it just a weak tier buff?

It's not weak, but it doesn't have to hit high stacks to be strong. The only way for it to stack is for an ability to use 0 energy that also provides it (Blindside procs, HAT are all I can think of). When you use a combo generator, it consumes ALL stacks and reduces energy based on the # you have.

Shadowcraft can tell you more accurately just how much the bonus is worth.

It's just a mini-buff that helps throughout the fight. Those little energy saves (energy reduction rate varies on spec, since I'm sub it's 2 per stack) help but I never really try to pay attention to it and I recommend not really concerning yourself with it and just keep on doing dps. Just remember that it'll help you throughout the whole fight. If you're trying to max it while dpsing the target you're actually hurting your DPS.

As sub, it can stack a bit. If we had spine in this tier, I bet the strat would involve swapping with a full stack or something. But mostly the fact that it is a buff is just there to make it work better- it's not really the sort of buff that can be gamed much, and combat and mutilate can't really stack it at all.

As sub, it can stack a bit. If we had spine in this tier, I bet the strat would involve swapping with a full stack or something. But mostly the fact that it is a buff is just there to make it work better- it's not really the sort of buff that can be gamed much, and combat and mutilate can't really stack it at all.

Mutilate can stack to two (mut crit and bindside dispatch crit), otherwise correct.

So it says that it stacks up to 5 times but I can never get it to that. Mostly it's used up at 1 stack and sometimes at 2 stacks. Is there a particular strategy to max it out or is it just a weak tier buff?

It stacking to 5 max doesn't mean that using it at 1 or 2 is a bad thing. On the contrary actually.

“It's now very common to hear people say, 'I'm rather offended by that.' As if that gives them certain rights. It's actually nothing more... than a whine. 'I find that offensive.' It has no meaning; it has no purpose; it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. 'I am offended by that.' Well, so fucking what.”